U.S. patent application number 10/061636 was filed with the patent office on 2002-12-26 for method, apparatus and article for hierarchical wagering.
This patent application is currently assigned to Mindplay LLC. Invention is credited to Huizinga, Richard, Soltys, Richard.
Application Number | 20020198052 10/061636 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26741305 |
Filed Date | 2002-12-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020198052 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Soltys, Richard ; et
al. |
December 26, 2002 |
Method, apparatus and article for hierarchical wagering
Abstract
A primary wager is placed by a primary player regarding an
outcome of a gaming event, and a secondary wager is placed by a
secondary player regarding an outcome of the primary wager.
Tertiary wagers may also be placed regarding an outcome of the
secondary wager. The outcome of the gaming event is determined. The
outcome of the primary wager is determined based on the determined
outcome of the gaming event. The outcome of the secondary wager is
determined based on the determined outcome of the primary wager.
The outcome of the tertiary wager is determined based on the
outcome of the secondary wager. Winnings and losses are paid and
collected, respectively. Wagering can be local or remote.
Statistics and/or odds can be generated and displayed.
Inventors: |
Soltys, Richard; (Bellevue,
WA) ; Huizinga, Richard; (Bellevue, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SEED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW GROUP PLLC
701 FIFTH AVE
SUITE 6300
SEATTLE
WA
98104-7092
US
|
Assignee: |
Mindplay LLC
Bellevue
WA
|
Family ID: |
26741305 |
Appl. No.: |
10/061636 |
Filed: |
February 1, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60300253 |
Jun 21, 2001 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/42 ;
463/16 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/3237 20130101;
G07F 17/32 20130101; A63F 3/00157 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/42 ;
463/16 |
International
Class: |
A63F 013/00 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A method of wagering, comprising: receiving a primary wager from
a primary player regarding an outcome of a gaming event; and
receiving a secondary wager from a secondary player regarding an
outcome of the primary wager of the primary player.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event; and
determining the outcome of the secondary wager based on the
determined outcome of the primary wager.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event; paying
winnings to the primary player if the outcome of the primary wager
is successful; and collecting the wager from the primary player if
the outcome of the primary wager is unsuccessful.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event; paying
winnings to the primary player if the outcome of the primary wager
is successful; collecting the wager from the primary player if the
outcome of the primary wager is unsuccessful. determining the
outcome of the secondary wager based on the determined outcome of
the primary wager; paying winnings to the secondary player if the
outcome of the secondary wager is successful; and collecting the
wager from the secondary player if the outcome of the secondary
wager is unsuccessful.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining
statistics for the primary player based the success of primary
wagers placed by the primary player; and displaying the determined
statistics for the primary player to at least the second
player.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining odds for
the secondary wager based at least in part on the success of a
number of previous primary wagers placed by the primary player; and
displaying the determined odds to at least the secondary
player.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining odds for
the secondary wager based at least in part on the success of a
number of previous primary wagers placed by the primary player; and
determining an amount to pay the secondary player if the secondary
wager is successful based on the determined odds for the secondary
wager.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a tertiary
wager from a tertiary player regarding an outcome of the secondary
wager of the secondary player.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a primary wager from a
primary player regarding an outcome of a gaming event includes
receiving at least one wagering piece from the primary wager at a
gaming event site at which an occurrence of the gaming event takes
place.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a primary wager from a
primary player regarding an outcome of a gaming event includes
receiving at least one wagering piece from the primary wager at a
remote site, the remote site being remote with respect to a gaming
event site at which an occurrence of the gaming event takes
place.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a primary wager from a
primary player regarding an outcome of a gaming event, includes,
receiving at least one wagering piece at a gaming table.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a primary wager from a
primary player regarding an outcome of a gaming event, includes,
receiving at least one of cash and a wagering piece at a gaming
machine.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a secondary wager from
a secondary player regarding an outcome of the primary wager of the
primary player, includes receiving a communication from a remote
site, the remote site being remote with respect to a site of an
occurrence of the gaming event.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a secondary wager from
a secondary player regarding an outcome of the primary wager of the
primary player, includes receiving at least one wagering piece from
the secondary wager at a gaming event site at which an occurrence
of the gaming event takes place.
15. A method of operating a wagering system, comprising: receiving
primary wager information regarding a primary wager placed by a
primary player regarding an outcome of a gaming event; and
receiving secondary wager information regarding a secondary wager
placed by a secondary player regarding an outcome of the primary
wager of the primary player.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving primary wager
information regarding a primary wager placed by a primary player
regarding an outcome of a gaming event, includes automatically
detecting at least one wagering piece placed on a gaming table by
the primary player before an occurrence of the gaming event.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving primary wager
information regarding a primary wager placed by a primary player
regarding an outcome of a gaming event, includes automatically
imaging at least one wagering piece placed on a gaming table by the
primary player before an occurrence of the gaming event.
18. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving primary wager
information regarding a primary wager placed by a primary player
regarding an outcome of a gaming event, includes automatically
detecting at least one wagering piece placed received by a gaming
machine before an occurrence of the gaming event.
19. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving secondary wager
information regarding a secondary wager placed by a secondary
player regarding an outcome of the primary wager of the primary
player, includes automatically detecting at least one wagering
piece placed on a gaming table by the secondary player before an
occurrence of the gaming event.
20. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving secondary wager
information regarding a secondary wager placed by a secondary
player regarding an outcome of the primary wager of the primary
player, includes receiving a communications signal from an
electronically operated communications device operated by the
secondary player before an occurrence of the gaming event.
21. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event; and
determining the outcome of the secondary wager based on the
determined outcome of the primary wager.
22. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event; paying
winnings to the primary player if the outcome of the primary wager
is successful; and collecting the wager from the primary player if
the outcome of the primary wager is unsuccessful.
23. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event; paying
additional wagering pieces to the primary player if the outcome of
the primary wager is successful; and collecting the at least one
wagering piece from the primary player if the outcome of the
primary wager is unsuccessful.
24. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event;
crediting winnings to a player account corresponding to the primary
player if the outcome of the primary wager is successful; and
debiting the player account in an amount of the wager if the
outcome of the primary wager is unsuccessful.
25. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event;
determining the outcome of the secondary wager based on the
determined outcome of the primary wager; paying winnings to the
secondary player if the outcome of the secondary wager is
successful; and collecting the wager from the secondary player if
the outcome of the secondary wager is unsuccessful.
26. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event;
determining the outcome of the secondary wager based on the
determined outcome of the primary wager; paying additional wagering
pieces to the secondary player if the outcome of the secondary
wager is successful; and collecting the wagering piece from the
secondary player if the outcome of the secondary wager is
unsuccessful.
27. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the
outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of the primary
wager based on the determined outcome of the gaming event;
determining the outcome of the secondary wager based on the
determined outcome of the primary wager; crediting winnings to a
player account corresponding to the secondary player if the outcome
of the secondary wager is successful; and debiting the player
account in an amount of the wager if the outcome of the secondary
wager is unsuccessful.
28. A computer-readable media having instructions for causing a
computer in a wagering system permit multiple levels of wagering,
by: receiving primary wager information regarding a primary wager
placed by a primary player regarding an outcome of a gaming event;
and receiving secondary wager information regarding a secondary
wager placed by a secondary player regarding an outcome of the
primary wager of the primary player.
29. The computer-readable media of claim 28 wherein the
instructions further cause the computer to permit multiple levels
of wagering, by: determining the outcome of the gaming event;
determining the outcome of the primary wager based on the
determined outcome of the gaming event; and determining the outcome
of the secondary wager based on the determined outcome of the
primary wager.
30. The computer-readable media of claim 28 wherein the
instructions further cause the computer to permit multiple levels
of wagering, by: determining the outcome of the gaming event;
determining the outcome of the primary wager based on the
determined outcome of the gaming event; crediting winnings to a
player account corresponding to the primary player if the outcome
of the primary wager is successful; and debiting the player account
in an amount of the wager if the outcome of the primary wager is
unsuccessful. etermining the outcome of the gaming event;
determining the outcome of the primary wager based on the
determined outcome of the gaming event; crediting winnings to a
player account corresponding to the primary player if the outcome
of the primary wager is successful; and debiting the player account
in an amount of the wager if the outcome of the primary wager is
unsuccessful.
31. The computer-readable media of claim 28 wherein the
instructions further cause the computer to permit multiple levels
of wagering, by: determining the outcome of the gaming event;
determining the outcome of the primary wager based on the
determined outcome of the gaming event; determining the outcome of
the secondary wager based on the determined outcome of the primary
wager; crediting winnings to a player account corresponding to the
secondary player if the outcome of the secondary wager is
successful; and debiting the player account in an amount of the
wager if the outcome of the secondary wager is unsuccessful.
32. A wagering system, comprising: a secondary wager input device
to produce secondary wager information regarding a secondary wager
placed on the outcome of a primary wager; and a processor coupled
to receive the secondary wager information and programmed to
determine the outcome of the secondary wager based on an outcome of
the primary wager.
33. The wagering system of claim 32 wherein the secondary wager
input device comprises a handheld communications device.
34. The wagering system of claim 32 wherein the secondary wager
input device comprises an imager positioned to image at least one
wagering piece on a gaming table.
35. A wagering system, comprising: a primary wager input device to
produce primary wager information regarding a primary wager placed
on the outcome of a gaming event; a secondary wager input device to
produce secondary wager information regarding a secondary wager
placed on the outcome of the primary wager; and a processor coupled
to receive the primary and the secondary wager information and
programmed to determine the outcome of the primary wager based on
the outcome of the gaming event and the outcome of the secondary
wager based on the determined outcome of the primary wager.
36. The wagering system of claim 35 wherein the primary wager input
device comprises an imager positioned to image at least one
wagering piece on a gaming table.
37. A wagering system, comprising: a table imager positioned to
image at least one wager and at least one gaming event to produce
wager information and gaming event information; and a processor
coupled to receive the wager information and the gaming event
information from the table imager and programmed to determine the
outcome of the gaming event based on the gaming event information,
to determine the outcome of a primary wager based on the determined
outcome of the gaming event and the wager information; and to
determine the outcome of a secondary wager based on the determined
outcome of the primary wager and the wager information.
38. The wagering system of claim 37, further comprising: a deck
reader positioned to read at least one identifier from each of a
plurality of playing cards.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 60/300,253 filed Jun. 21, 2001, where this
provisional application is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention is generally related to wagering.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A wager is an agreement under which each bettor pledges
something against the outcome of an unsettled matter. For example,
wagers are placed on the outcome of a game of skill or chance. Such
games may include casino type table games, such as baccarat,
blackjack or twenty-one, roulette, Caribbean stud poker, Tai Gow
poker, Hi/Low, Let-It-Ride.TM., and craps. Such games may also
include non-table games, such as slot machines and video poker.
Additionally, wagers may be placed on the outcome of events,
including sporting events such as horse racing and car racing, as
well as various games such as baseball, football, basketball, golf
and tennis.
[0006] Wagering can take place in many types of environments
including controlled environments such as casinos, racetracks and
licensed betting parlors, as well as in uncontrolled environments.
Licensed wagering is a fast growing business, and is becoming
increasingly prevalent on the World Wide Web portion of the
Internet.
[0007] Each wager typically includes a set of odds setting the
payout for a successful wager and approximately reflecting the
probability of a particular outcome. Often the odds will include a
bias in favor of the house. Often a winning or successful wager is
paid an amount of money greater than the amount of the wager, as
determined by the particular odds. For example, a successful wager
of $50 at 2:1 odds is paid $100 or two times the wager amount. Many
games of chance, such as roulette, craps and twenty-one permit
different wagers at different odds. The number of options may prove
daunting to a beginner, discouraging new players from learning to
wager. Additionally, many casinos have more patrons during busy
times than can be adequately handled at the various wagering or
playing positions in the casino.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Under one aspect, a method, apparatus and article for
wagering receives a primary wager from a primary player regarding
an outcome of a gaming event, and receives a secondary wager from a
secondary player regarding an outcome of the primary wager. The
method, apparatus and article may also determine the outcome of the
gaming event, determine the outcome of the primary wager based on
the determined outcome of the gaming event, and determine the
outcome of the secondary wager based on the determined outcome of
the primary wager. The method, apparatus and article may
additionally pay winnings to the primary player if the outcome of
the primary wager is successful and collect the wager from the
primary player if the outcome of the primary wager is unsuccessful.
Also, the method, apparatus and article may pay winnings to the
secondary player if the outcome of the secondary wager is
successful, and collect the wager from the secondary player if the
outcome of the secondary wager is unsuccessful. The method,
apparatus and article may further determine statistics for the
primary player based on the success of primary wagers placed by the
primary player, and/or display the determined statistics for the
primary player to at least the secondary player. Even further, the
method, apparatus and article may determine odds for the secondary
wager based at least in part on the success of a number of previous
primary wagers placed by the primary player, and display the
determined odds to at least the secondary player. Yet further
still, the method, apparatus and article may receive a tertiary
wager from a tertiary player regarding an outcome of the secondary
wager of the secondary player.
[0009] Thus, the wagering method, apparatus and article may allow
beginners, or others, to wager based on another's wagers, taking
advantage of another player's skill, knowledge or luck. The
wagering method, apparatus and article may permit secondary wagers
to be placed from the same location as the primary wager, or from
remote locations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify
similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of
elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For
example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not drawn to
scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and
positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular
shapes of the elements as drawn, are not intended to convey any
information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements,
and have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the
drawings.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic overview of a wagering system
according to one illustrated embodiment of the invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic overview of the wagering system
according to a second illustrated alternative embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the wagering system
of FIG. 1.
[0014] FIGS. 4A-4G are a flow diagram showing a method of operating
the wagering system of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In the following description, certain specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various
embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will
understand that the invention may be practiced without these
details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with
computers, servers, networks, imagers, and gaming or wagering
apparatus have not been shown or described in detail to avoid
unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments of the
invention.
[0016] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the
specification and claims which follow, the word "comprise" and
variations thereof, such as, "comprises" and "comprising" are to be
construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is as "including, but
not limited to."
[0017] The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do
not interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.
[0018] Wagering Environment Overview
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a wagering system 10 including a host computing
system 12, a server 14 and a network 16. The server 14 and network
16 couple the host computing system 12 to various gaming sensors,
gaming actuators and/or gaming processors at a number of different
wagering or gaming positions. The gaming positions are the
locations where the actual gaming events occur, such as the dealing
cards, rolling of dice, spinning of wheels, running of races or
playing of games. For example, gaming positions may include gaming
tables such as a twenty-one or blackjack table 18, or gaming
machines such as a slot machine 20.
[0020] The gaming sensors, gaming actuators and/or gaming
processors and other electronics can be located in the gaming
table, and/or various devices on the gaming table such as the chip
tray 22 and card reader 24. For example, suitable hardware and
software for playing card based games such as twenty-one are
described in commonly assigned pending U.S. patent applications:
Ser. No. 60/130,368, filed Apr. 21, 1999; Ser. No. 09/474,858,
filed Dec. 30, 1999, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING
CASINO GAMING" (Atty. Docket No. 120109.401); Ser. No. 60/259,658,
filed Jan. 4, 2001; Ser. No. 09/849,456, filed May. 4, 2001 (Atty.
Docket No. 120109.402); and Ser. No. 09/790,480, filed Feb. 21,
2001, entitled "METHOD, APPARATUS AND ARTICLE FOR EVALUATING CARD
GAMES, SUCH AS BLACKJACK" (Atty. Docket No. 120109.403).
[0021] A first player 26 can place a primary wager directly on the
outcome of the gaming event, such as the outcome of a hand of
playing cards 28 dealt by a dealer 30 in a game of twenty-one.
Thus, the first player 26 is denominated herein as a primary player
since the first player 26 is placing a primary wager. The first
player 26 may place the wager by locating wagering pieces such as
one or more chips 32 in an appropriate location on the blackjack
table 18.
[0022] A second player 34 can place a secondary wager on the
outcome of one or more of the first player's 26 primary wagers.
Thus, the second player 34 is denominated herein as a secondary
player. The second player 34 may employ a player computer such as a
hand-held communications device 36 to wirelessly transmit secondary
wager related information to the host computing system 12. The
handheld communications device 36 can be a general purpose device
capable of wireless communications, such as a cellular telephone, a
personal data assistant ("PDA"), a pager, and/or a BLUETOOTH
configured device. Alternatively, the wireless communications
device 36 may be a device specially configured for wagering
employing, for example, the Wireless Application Protocol ("WAP").
The second player 34 may place the secondary wager from same gaming
position that the primary wager is placed from, or from a remote
location. The wireless communications device 36 may transmit to the
host computer 12 via the server 14 by way of an antenna 38 located
at, or proximate, the gaming position. For example, the antenna 38
can be carried by the blackjack table 18. Use of the wireless
communications device 36 permits a casino to receive additional
wagering without incurring the infrastructure cost of providing
additional gaming tables or space. This may assist casinos in
handling the large crowds which typically occur on weekends and
holidays at many casinos.
[0023] A third player 40 can place a primary wager on the direct
outcome of a play of the slot machine 20. The third player 40 is
thus denominated herein as a primary player, placing a wager
directly on the outcome of the gaming event. The third player 40
can place the wager by, for example, by placing coins, tokens or
other currency into the appropriate receiver of the slot machine 20
and operating a handle 42 or other buttons, keys or switches.
Mechanical and digital slot machines are known to those skilled in
the relevant art so will not be further discussed in the interest
of brevity.
[0024] A fourth player 44 can place a secondary wager on the
outcome of one or more of the third player's 40 wagers. The fourth
player 44 is thus denominated herein as a secondary player. The
fourth player 44 may also place a secondary wager on the outcome of
one or more of the first player's 26 wagers, either concurrently
with, or separately from, the secondary wagering on the third
player's 40 wagers. The fourth player 44 may, for example, place
the secondary wager from a remote location, such as the fourth
player's home, office or a retail wagering location such as a
licensed or unlicensed betting parlor.
[0025] The fourth player 44 can place the wager via a player
computer such as a desktop or laptop personal computer 46. The
personal computer 46 may communicate with the server 14 over any
standard communications channels, such as the public telephone
exchange ("PBX"), cable network ("CATV"), T1 or T2 lines, satellite
and/or other communications channels. The personal computer 46 can
include a display 48 for displaying a simulation of the gaming
event, such as a simulated view 50 of the actual slot machine 20.
The simulated view 50 can represent the actual gaming event in real
time, or almost real time. The display 48 can also display
statistics 52 for one or more of the primary players 26, 40, and
statistics 54 for the fourth player's 44 secondary wagering.
Additionally, the display 48 can carry advertisements 56, such as
casino and travel discounts, as well as other information relevant
to the fourth player.
[0026] A fifth player 58 may place tertiary wagers on the outcomes
of one or more of the secondary wagers by the second arid/or fourth
players 34, 44. Thus, the fifth player 58 is denominated herein as
a tertiary player. Additionally, or alternatively, the fifth player
58 may place secondary wagers on the outcomes of the wagers by
either the first and/or the third players 26, 40. The fifth player
58 may be present at one of the gaming positions 18, 20, or may be
in a remote location, such as elsewhere in a casino. The fifth
player 58 may employ a wireless hand-held communications device 36
that communicates to the server 14 via a relay 60 and a receiver
such as an antenna 62. The wireless communications device 36 can
include a display 64. The display 64 can display information
similar to the information displayed by the display 48 of the
personal computer 46. The information may be reformatted to fit the
smaller display 66 of the wireless communications device 36.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the wagering
system 10. This alternative embodiment, and those alternative
embodiments and other alternatives described herein, are
substantially similar to previously described embodiments, and
common acts and structures are identified by the same reference
numbers. Only significant differences in operation and structure
are described below.
[0028] In FIG. 2, the wagering system 10 does not employ a separate
server 14 for providing communications between the host computer 12
and the various gaming positions. The first player 26 places a
primary wager with the table operator 66 at a roulette table 68. A
chip tray 22 can carry suitable electronics for capturing the
wagering. Additionally, electronics can be built into a roulette
wheel 70 to capture the gaming event information, as is described
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,533 issued Jun. 23, 1998 to Franchi and U.S.
Pat. No. 5,801,766 issued Sep. 1, 1998 to Alden. The second player
34 places a secondary wager by placing wagering pieces such as
chips 72 in a specially delimited area 74 of the roulette table 68.
Other table games can employ similar delimited areas for placing
secondary wagers.
[0029] The third player 40 places primary wagers via a video poker
machine 76. The structure and operation of video poker machines are
known by those skilled in the relevant art so will not be further
discussed in the interest of brevity.
[0030] The fourth player 44, as well as additional players (not
called out in the Figures) can place secondary wagers at a
secondary wagering table 78. The secondary wagering table 78 may be
in the same room in a casino as the roulette table 68, or may be in
a different room in the casino, or may even be remote from the
casino, for example in another town or city.
[0031] The fourth player 44 places the secondary wager by, for
example, placing wagering pieces such as markers or chips 80 in an
appropriate delimited area 82 on the secondary wagering table 78. A
wagering display 84 displays information to the fourth player 44
regarding the gaming and the primary wagering at the roulette table
68. For example, the wagering display 84 may include a live video
image 86 of the play at the roulette table 68. The wagering display
84 may also include an inset or a picture in a picture live or
simulated image 88 of the roulette wheel 70. The wagering display
84 can display these images 86, 88 in real-time, or almost in
real-time. Further, the wagering display 84 can display statistical
information 90 regarding the outcome of gaming events at the
roulette table 68, the outcome of primary wagers, and/or the
outcome of the secondary wagers. Additionally, the statistical
information 90 may include statistical information for one or more
of the players 26, 34, 44. Further, the wagering display 84 can
include advertising and/or other information relevant to the player
44. The wagering display 84, or an additional wagering display (not
shown), can display images and/or statistical information for other
gaming events, permitting the fourth player 44 to wagering on
multiple different gaming events at a same time.
[0032] The fifth player 58 may place tertiary wagers based on the
outcome of the secondary wagers. Again the fifth or tertiary player
58 may employ a hand-held device 36 to communicate with the host
computing system 12 via relay 44. In this embodiment, the relay 44
is coupled to the host computing system 12 via a local area network
92. Alternatively, the casino may allow the fifth player 58 place
the tertiary wagers directly at the secondary wagering table 78 or
even at the roulette table 68, where specially delimited areas of
the table are provided for such purpose.
[0033] System Hardware
[0034] FIG. 3 and the following discussion provide a brief, general
description of a suitable computing environment in which
embodiments of the invention can be implemented. Although not
required, embodiments of the invention will be described in the
general context of computer-executable instructions, such as
program application modules, objects, or macros being executed by a
computer. Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that
the invention can be practiced with other computer system
configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor
systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,
personal computers ("PCs"), network PCs, mini computers, mainframe
computers, and the like. The invention can be practiced in
distributed computing environments where tasks or modules are
performed by remote processing devices, which are linked through a
communications network. In a distributed computing environment,
program modules may be located in both local and remote memory
storage devices.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional mainframe or
mini-computer, referred to herein as the host computing system 12,
includes a processing unit 100, a system memory 102 and a system
bus 104 that couples various system components including the system
memory 102 to the processing unit 100. The host computing system 12
will at times be referred to in the singular herein, but this is
not intended to limit the application of the invention to a single
host computer since in typical embodiments, there will be more than
one host computer or other device involved. The wagering system 10
may employ other computers, such as conventional personal
computers, where the size or scale of the system allows. The
processing unit 100 may be any logic processing unit, such as one
or more central processing units (CPUs), digital signal processors
(DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.
Unless described otherwise, the construction and operation of the
various blocks shown in FIG. 1 are of conventional design. As a
result, such blocks need not be described in further detail herein,
as they will be understood by those skilled in the relevant
art.
[0036] The system bus 104 can employ any known bus structures or
architectures, including a memory bus with memory controller, a
peripheral bus, and a local bus. The system memory 102 includes
read-only memory ("ROM") 106 and random access memory ("RAM") 108.
A basic input/output system ("BIOS") 110, which can form part of
the ROM 106, contains basic routines that help transfer information
between elements within the host computing system 12, such as
during start-up.
[0037] The host computing system 12 also includes a hard disk drive
112 for reading from and writing to a hard disk 114, and an optical
disk drive 116 and a magnetic disk drive 118 for reading from and
writing to removable optical disks 120 and magnetic disks 122,
respectively. The optical disk 120 can be a CD-ROM, while the
magnetic disk 122 can be a magnetic floppy disk or diskette. The
hard disk drive 112, optical disk drive 116 and magnetic disk drive
118 communicate with the processing unit 100 via the bus 104. The
hard disk drive 112, optical disk drive 116 and magnetic disk drive
118 may include interfaces or controllers (not shown) coupled
between such drives and the bus 104, as is known by those skilled
in the relevant art. The drives 112, 116 and 118, and their
associated computer-readable media, provide nonvolatile storage of
computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules
and other data for the host computing system 12. Although the
depicted host computing system 12 employs hard disk 112, optical
disk 116 and magnetic disk 118, those skilled in the relevant art
will appreciate that other types of computer-readable media that
can store data accessible by a computer may be employed, such as
magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks
("DVD"), Bernoulli cartridges, RAMs, ROMs, smart cards, etc.
[0038] Program modules can be stored in the system memory 102, such
as an operating system 124, one or more application programs 126,
other programs or modules 128 and program data 130. The system
memory 102 may also include a Web client or browser 132 for
permitting the host computing system 12 to access and exchange data
with sources such as web sites of the Internet, corporate
intranets, or other networks as described below, as well as other
server applications on server computers such as those further
discussed below. The browser 132 in the depicted embodiment is
markup language based, such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML),
Extensible Markup Language (XML) or Wireless Markup Language (WML),
and operates with markup languages that use syntactically delimited
characters added to the data of a document to represent the
structure of the document. A number of Web clients or browsers are
commercially available such as NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR from America
Online, and INTERNET EXPLORER available from Microsoft of Redmond,
Washington While shown in FIG. 1 as being stored in the system
memory 102, the operating system 124, application programs 126,
other programs/modules 128, program data 130 and browser 132 can be
stored on the hard disk 114 of the hard disk drive 112, the optical
disk 120 of the optical disk drive 116 and/or the magnetic disk 122
of the magnetic disk drive 118. An operator, such as casino
personnel, can enter commands and information into the host
computing system 12 through input devices such as a keyboard 134
and a pointing device such as a mouse 136. Other input devices can
include a microphone, joystick, game pad, scanner, etc. These and
other input devices are connected to the processing unit 100
through an interface 138 such as a serial port interface that
couples to the bus 104, although other interfaces such as a
parallel port, a game port or a wireless interface or a universal
serial bus ("USB") can be used. A monitor 140 or other display
device is coupled to the bus 104 via a video interface 142, such as
a video adapter. The host computing system 12 can include other
output devices, such as speakers, printers, etc.
[0039] The host computing system 12 can operate in a networked
environment using logical connections to one or more remote
computers, such as the server computer 14. The server computer 14
can be another personal computer, a server, another type of
computer, or a collection of more than one computer communicatively
linked together and typically includes many or all of the elements
described above for the host computing system 12. The server
computer 14 is logically connected to one or more of the host
computing systems 12 under any known method of permitting computers
to communicate, such as through a local area network ("LAN") 144,
or a wide area network ("WAN") or the Internet 146. Such networking
environments are well known in wired and wireless enterprise-wide
computer networks, intranets, extranets, and the Internet. Other
embodiments include other types of communication networks including
telecommunications networks, cellular networks, paging networks,
and other mobile networks.
[0040] When used in a LAN networking environment, the host
computing system 12 is connected to the LAN 144 through an adapter
or network interface 148 (communicatively linked to the bus 104).
When used in a WAN networking environment, the host computing
system 12 may include a modem 150 or other device, such as the
network interface 148, for establishing communications over the
WAN/Internet 146. The modem 150 is shown in FIG. 1 as
communicatively linked between the interface 138 and the
WAN/Internet 144. In a networked environment, program modules,
application programs, or data, or portions thereof, can be stored
in the server computer 14. In the depicted embodiment, the host
computing system 12 is communicatively linked to the server
computer 14 through the LAN 144 or the WAN/Internet 146 with TCP/IP
middle layer network protocols; however, other similar network
protocol layers are used in other embodiments, such as User
Datagram Protocol ("UDP"). Those skilled in the relevant art will
readily recognize that the network connections shown in FIG. 1 are
only some examples of establishing communication links between
computers, and other links may be used, including wireless
links.
[0041] The server computer 14 is also communicatively linked to one
or more player computers 36, 44, such as the wireless
communications device 36 or desktop computer 46 (FIG. 1), typically
through the LAN 144 or the WAN/Internet 146 or other networking
configuration such as a direct asynchronous connection (not shown).
The server computer 14 is further communicatively linked to the
sensors, actuators and processors of one or more gaming positions,
identified collectively as gaming processor 152, typically through
the LAN 144 or the WAN/Internet 146 or other networking
configuration such as a direct asynchronous connection (not
shown).
[0042] The server computer 14 includes server applications 154 for
the routing of instructions, programs, data and agents between the
player computers 36, 44 and the host computing system 12, and
between the gaming processors 152 and the host computing system 12.
For example the server applications 154 may include conventional
server applications such as WINDOWS NT 4.0 Server, and/or WINDOWS
2000 Server, available from Microsoft Corporation or Redmond,
Washington. Additionally, or alternatively, the server applications
154 can include any of a number of commercially available Web
servers, such as INTERNET INFORMATION SERVICE from Microsoft
Corporation and/or IPLANET from Netscape.
[0043] The player computers 36, 44 include player applications 156
and player data 158. The player applications 156 can include
instructions for handling security such as password or other access
protection and communications encryption. The player applications
156 can also include statistical packages for manipulating data
about the performance of the various players, including the
performance owner of the operator of the player computer 36, 46.
The player applications 156 can further include instructions for
displaying information received from the host computing system 12
via the server 14 in a suitable format to fit the particular user
interface of the player computer 36, 44, and/or for transmitting a
wager to the host computing system 12. Player data 158 can include,
for example, player identification data, preference data,
statistical data for the particular player and/or other players,
account numbers, account balances, maximum and/or minimum wagers,
etc.
[0044] The gaming processor 152 can include gaming applications 160
and gaming data 162. The gaming applications 160 can include
instructions for acquiring wagering and gaming event information
from the live gaming at the game position, such as instructions for
acquiring an image of the wagers, identifiers on playing cards,
position of a ball in the roulette wheel 70, and/or reels on a slot
machine 20. The gaming applications 160 can also include
instructions for processing, at least partially, the acquired
wagering and gaming event information, for example, identifying the
position and size of each wager and/or the value of each hand of
playing cards. Suitable applications are described in one or more
of commonly assigned U.S. patent applications: Ser. No. 60/130368,
filed Apr. 21, 1999; Ser. No. 09/474,858 filed Dec. 30, 1999,
entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING CASINO GAMING" (Atty.
Docket No. 120109.401); Ser. No. 60/259,658, filed Jan. 4, 2001;
Ser. No. 09/849456 filed May. 4, 2001 (Atty. Docket No.
120109.402), Ser. No. 09/790480, filed Feb. 21, 2001, entitled
"METHOD, APPARATUS AND ARTICLE FOR EVALUATING CARD GAMES, SUCH AS
BLACKJACK" (Atty. Docket No. 120109.403). The gaming applications
160 statistical packages for producing statistical information
regarding the play at a particular gaming table, the performance of
one or more players, and/or the performance of the dealer 30 and/or
game operator 66. The gaming applications can also include
instructions for providing a video feed of some or all of the
gaming position. Gaming data may include outcomes of games, amounts
of wagers, average wager, player identity information,
complimentary benefits information ("comps"), player performance
data, dealer performance data, chip tray accounting information,
playing card sequences, etc.
[0045] Thus, the server 12 can route wagering related information
between the gaming positions and the host computing system 12, and
between the host computing system 12 and remote players to provide
a hierarchical wagering environment.
[0046] Wagering System Operation
[0047] FIGS. 4A-4G show a method 200 of operation for the wagering
system 10. The method handles multiple primary players, secondary
players and tertiary players. The secondary players can place
secondary wagers on one or more of the primary wagers, while the
tertiary players can place tertiary wagers on one or more secondary
wagers. The method 200 starts in step 202 and in step 204 the
processing unit 100 initializes a set of counters.
[0048] In step 206, the processing unit 100 increments the a first
counter I (i.e., I=I+1) in preparation for receiving the primary
wagers by the primary players. In step 208, the processing unit 100
receives a primary wager from a primary player I. In step 210, the
processing unit 100 determines statistics for the primary player I.
The processing unit 100 may rely on previously stored statistical
information for the primary player I and/or may be keeping
statistics as successive games are played. In step 212, the
processing unit 100 displays the determined statistics for the
primary player I, for example on the display 36 of the handheld
wireless communications device 36 (FIG. 1) or the wagering display
84 (FIG. 2).
[0049] In step 213, the processing unit 100 determines if there are
additional primary wagers from the primary player I. If there are
additional primary wagers from the primary player I, the processing
unit 100 passes control back to step 208. If there are not
additional primary wagers for the primary player I, the processing
unit 100 passes controller to step 214 where the processing unit
100 determines whether there are additional primary players. If
there are additional primary players, the processing unit 100
passes control to step 206, where the counter I is incremented
(i.e., I=I+1). If there are no additional primary players, the
processing unit 100 passes control to step 216, the counter I
storing the number of primary players.
[0050] In step 216, the processing unit 100 increments the counter
J (i.e., J=J+1) in preparation for receiving the secondary wagers
by the secondary players. In step 218, the processing unit 100
receives the secondary wager from secondary player J. In step 220,
the processing unit 100 determines if there are additional
secondary wagers from the secondary player J. If there are
additional secondary wagers from the secondary player J, the
processing unit 100 passes control back to step 218. If there are
not additional secondary wagers, the processing unit 100 passes
control to step 222 where the processing unit 100 determines if
there are additional secondary players. If there are additional
secondary players, the processing unit 100 passes control to step
216 where the counter J is incremented (i.e., J=J+1). If there are
no additional secondary players, the processing unit 100 passes
control to step 224, the counter J storing the number of secondary
players.
[0051] In step 224, the processing unit 100 increments the counter
K (i.e., K=K+1) in preparation for receiving the tertiary wagers by
the tertiary players. In step 226, the processing unit 100 receives
the tertiary wager from tertiary player K. In step 228, the
processing unit 100 determines if there are additional tertiary
wagers from the tertiary player K. If there are additional tertiary
wagers from the tertiary player K, the processing unit 100 passes
control back to step 226. If there are no additional tertiary
wagers, the processing unit 100 passes control to step 230. In step
230, the processing unit 100 determines if there are additional
tertiary players. If there are additional tertiary players, the
processing unit 100 passes control to step 224 where the counter K
is incremented (i.e., K=K+1). If there are no additional tertiary
players, the processing unit 100 passes control to step 232, where
wagering is closed. The counter K thus stores the number of
tertiary players.
[0052] In step 234, the processing unit 100 of the host computing
system 12 determines the outcome of a gaming event. The precise
method of determining the outcome of the gaming event will depend
on the game, and possibly other factors. The processing unit 100
may receive and process raw gaming information collected by various
sensors such as imagers at the gaming positions. Alternatively, the
wagering system 10 may distribute the processing by having the
gaming processors 152 at the various gaming positions process the
raw gaming information and providing processed gaming information
such as the outcome of the gaming event to the processing unit 100
of the host computing system 12. Distributing the processing to the
gaming processors 152 reduces the workload on the processor 100
allowing a smaller processor to handle more wagering, and perhaps
providing faster results. However, retaining processing at the
processing unit 100 may provide better control over the software,
and may make changes to the software simpler. The wagering system
10 may also employ a mix of above approaches, for example,
retaining processing at the processor 100 for some gaming, while
distributing the processing to the gaming processor 152 for other
gaming.
[0053] An example of determining the outcome of a gaming event is
determining the outcome of a hand of cards in a game of twenty-one
or blackjack. The rules of twenty-one are well-known to those
skilled in the art. In general, the total value of the player's
hand and the dealer's hand are determined. It is then determined
whether either the player or the dealer has busted (i.e., the value
of the hand exceeds twenty-one). If the player has busted the
outcome is a loss for the player. If the dealer has busted and the
player has not, the outcome is a win for the player. If neither the
player or the dealer have busted, the value of the player's hand is
compared to the dealer's hand. If the player has the higher value
hand, the outcome is a win for the player. If the dealer has the
higher value hand, the outcome is a loss for the player. If player
and the dealer have hands of equal value, the outcome is a push
(i.e., tie). Suitable systems and methods for determining the
outcome of gaming events for twenty-one, and for determining the
wagering are taught in commonly assigned U.S. patent applications:
Ser. No. 60/130,368, filed Apr. 21, 1999; Ser. No. 09/474,858,
filed Dec. 30, 1999, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING
CASINO GAMING" (Atty. Docket No. 120109.401); Ser. No. 60/259,658,
filed Jan. 4, 2001; Ser. No. 09/849,456, filed May. 4, 2001 (Atty.
Docket No. 120109.402); and Ser. No. 09/790,480, filed Feb. 21,
2001, entitled "METHOD, APPARATUS AND ARTICLE FOR EVALUATING CARD
GAMES, SUCH AS BLACKJACK" (Atty. Docket No. 120109.403). Other
methods of determining the outcome of gaming events are taught in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,533, issued Jun. 23, 1998, to Franchi, and U.S.
Pat. No. 5,801,766, issued Sep. 1, 1998, to Alden.
[0054] In step 236, the processing unit 100 increments a counter N
(i.e., N=N+1) in preparation for processing the primary wagers. In
step 238, the processing unit 100 determines the outcome of the
primary wager for the primary player N.
[0055] Determining the outcome of the primary wager typically
includes comparing the determined outcome of the gaming event to
the outcome wagered on by the primary player. For example, in the
game twenty-one, the player 26 is wagering on having a winning
hand. In roulette, the player 26 is wagering that the ball will
land on one of a number or color selected by the player. In craps,
a player is wagering that the total value rolled on a pair of dice
will be either the same, or different from a selected number. Thus,
in craps the outcome of two primary wagers may be different for the
same outcome of the gaming event. For example, a player who bets
the pass line may win on a roll of the dice resulting in a total of
6, while another player that bets the no pass line would lose on
the same roll. In slot machines, the primary player 40 wins if any
of a number of predefined patterns (e.g., BAR-BAR-BAR) show up on
the same line, or diagonal on the reels of the slot machine 20
(FIG. 1).
[0056] In step 240, the processing unit 100 determines whether the
value of the counter N is less than the value of the counter I
(i.e., whether all primary players have been processed). If the
value of the counter N is less than the value of the counter I, the
processing unit 100 passes control to step 236, where the counter N
is incremented. If the value of the counter N is not less than the
value of the counter I, the processing unit 100 passes control to
step 242.
[0057] In step 242, the processing unit 100 initializes the counter
N (i.e., N=0) in preparation for processing the secondary wagers.
In step 244, the processing unit 100 increments the counter N
(i.e., N=N+1). In step 246, the processing unit 100 determines the
outcome of the secondary wager for the secondary player N.
[0058] Determining the outcome of the secondary wager typically
includes comparing the determined outcome of the primary wager to
the outcome wagered on by the secondary player. Generally, a
secondary wager for, or with, a primary player wins when the
primary player wins, and loses when the primary player loses. A
secondary wager against a primary player wins when the primary
player loses, and loses when the primary player wins.
[0059] Thus, where the secondary player wagers for or with a
primary player in a game of twenty-one, the secondary player wins
the secondary wager if the primary player draws a winning hand, and
loses the secondary wager if the primary player draws a losing
hand. In contrast, where the secondary player wagers against a
primary player in the game of twenty-one, the secondary player wins
the secondary wager if the primary player draws a losing hand, but
loses the secondary wager if the primary player draws a winning
hand. In roulette, the outcome of a secondary wager for or with the
primary player is successful if the primary player's wager was
successful, and is a loss if the primary player's wager was
unsuccessful. In contrast, the outcome of a secondary wager against
the primary player in roulette is successful if the primary
player's wager was unsuccessful, and is a unsuccessful if the
primary player's wager was successful. Again, the game of craps
presents an interesting example since the outcome of the primary
wager can be different for two different primary wagers (e.g.,
pass, no pass) for the same gaming event (i.e., roll of dice)
outcome.
[0060] In step 248, the processing unit 100 determines if there are
additional secondary wagers for the secondary wagerer N. If there
are additional secondary wagers for the secondary player N, the
processing unit 100 passes control back to step 246. If there are
no additional secondary wagers for the secondary player N, the
processing unit passes control to step 250.
[0061] In step 250, the processing unit 100 determines if the value
of the counter N is less than the value of the counter J (i.e.,
whether all secondary players have been processed). If the value of
the counter N is less than the value of the counter J, the
processing unit 100 passes control to step 244, where the counter N
is incremented (N=N+1). If the value of the counter N is not less
than the value of the counter J, the processing unit 100 passes
control to step 252.
[0062] In step 252, the processing unit 100 initializes the counter
N (i.e., N=0) in preparation for processing the tertiary wagers. In
step 254, the processing unit 100 increments the counter N (i.e.,
N=N+1). In step 256, the processing unit 100 determines the outcome
of the tertiary wager for the tertiary player N.
[0063] Determining the outcome of the tertiary wager typically
includes comparing the determined outcome of the secondary wager to
the outcome wagered on by the tertiary player. Generally, a
tertiary wager for, or with, a secondary player when the secondary
player wins, and loses when the secondary player loses. A tertiary
wager against the secondary player wins when the secondary player
loses, and loses when the secondary player wins. Where a secondary
player wagered for, or with, a primary player, a tertiary wager
for, or with, the secondary player amounts to a wager for, or with,
the primary player. Where a secondary player wagered for, or with,
a primary player, a tertiary wager against the secondary player
amounts to a wager against the primary player. Where a secondary
player wagered against a primary player, a tertiary wager for, or
with, the secondary player amounts to a wager against the primary
player. Finally, where a secondary player wagered against a primary
player, a tertiary wager against the secondary player amounts to a
wager for, or with, the primary player.
[0064] In step 258, the processing unit 100 determines if there are
additional tertiary wagers for the tertiary player N. If there are
additional tertiary wagers for the tertiary player N, the
processing unit 100 passes control back to step 256. If there are
no additional tertiary wagers for the tertiary player N, the
processing unit 100 passes control to step 260.
[0065] In step 260, the processing unit 86 determines if the value
of the counter N is less than the value of the counter K (i.e.,
whether all tertiary players have been processed). If the value of
the counter N is less than the value of the counter K, the
processing unit 100 passes control to step 254, where the counter N
is incremented (i.e., N=N+1). If the value of the counter N is not
less than the value of the counter K, the processing unit 100
passes control to step 262.
[0066] In step 262, the processing unit 100 initializes the counter
N (i.e., N=0) in preparation for paying winnings to and/or
collecting the wagers from the primary players. In step 264, the
processing unit 100 increments the counter N (i.e., N=N+1). In step
266, the processing unit 100 determines whether the outcome of the
primary wager of the primary player N is successful. If the outcome
of the primary wager is successful, control passes to step 268
where the processing unit 100 determines the value of the payout.
The value of the payout is a function of the amount of the wager
and the odds for the particular wager. If the primary wager is not
successful, the processing unit 100 passes control to step 270,
where the primary wager is collected from the primary player N. The
primary wager may be manually collected, for example by the dealer
30 (FIG. 1) or game operator 66 (FIG. 2) collecting the wagering
pieces from a primary player (e.g., first player 26) who is present
at the gaming position or other controlled location. The primary
wager may alternatively be automatically collected by, for example,
debiting an account belonging to the primary player for the wager
amount. Automatic collection is particularly useful where the
primary player (e.g., third player 40) is remote from the gaming
position or other controlled location.
[0067] In step 272, the processing unit 100 determines whether
there are additional primary wagers for the primary player N. If
there are additional primary wagers for the primary player N,
control passes back to step 266. If there are not additional
primary wagers for primary player N, control passes to step 274,
where the primary player N is paid. The primary player may be
manually paid winnings, for example by the dealer 30 (FIG. 1) or
game operator 66 (FIG. 2) transferring wagering pieces in the
amount of the winnings to the primary player where the primary
player (e.g., first player 26) is present at the gaming position or
other controlled location. The primary player may alternatively be
automatically paid, for example, by crediting an account belonging
to the primary player with an amount equal to the amount of the
winnings. Automatic payment is particularly useful where the
primary player (e.g., third player 40) is not present at the gaming
position or other controlled location.
[0068] In step 276, the processing unit 100 determines if the value
of the counter N is less than the value of the counter I (ie.,
whether all primary players have been processed). If the value of
the counter N is less than the value of the counter I, the
processing unit 100 passes control to step 264, where the counter N
is incremented. If the value of the counter N is not less than the
value of the counter I, the processing unit 100 passes control to
step 278.
[0069] In step 278, the processing unit 86 initializes the counter
N (i.e., N=0) in preparation for paying winnings to and/or
collecting the wagers from the secondary players. In step 280, the
processing unit 100 increments the counter N (i.e., N=N+1). In step
282, the processing unit 100 determines whether the outcome of the
secondary wager of the secondary player N is successful. If the
outcome of the secondary wager of the secondary player and is
successful, the processing unit 100 passes control to step 284
where the value of the payout is determined. The value of the
payout is a function of the amount of the wager and the odds for
the particular wager. If the outcome of the secondary wager of the
secondary player N is not successful, the processing unit 100
passes control to step 286 where the secondary wager is collected
from the secondary player N. The secondary wager may be manually
collected, for example by the dealer 30 (FIG. 1) or game operator
66 (FIG. 2) collecting the wagering pieces from the secondary
player (e.g., second player 34) who is present at the gaming
position or other controlled location. The secondary wager may
alternatively be automatically collected by, for example, debiting
an account belonging to the secondary player for the wager amount.
Automatic collection is particularly useful where the secondary
player (e.g., fourth player 44) is not present at the gaming
position or other controlled location.
[0070] In step 288, the processing unit 100 determines whether
there are additional secondary wagers for the secondary player N.
If there are additional secondary wagers, the processing unit 100
passes control back to step 282. If there are no additional
secondary wagers for the secondary player N, the processing unit
100 passes control to step 290 where the secondary player N is
paid. The secondary player may be manually paid winnings, for
example by the dealer 30 (FIG. 1) or game operator 66 (FIG. 2)
transferring wagering pieces in the amount of the winnings to the
secondary player (e.g., second player 34) who is present at the
gaming location or other controlled location. The secondary player
may alternatively be automatically paid, for example, by crediting
an account belonging to the secondary player with an amount equal
to the amount of the winnings. Automatic payment is particularly
useful where the secondary player (e.g., fourth player 44) is not
present at the gaming position or other controlled location.
[0071] In step 292, the processing unit 100 determines if the value
of the counter N is less than the value of the counter J. If the
value of the counter N is less than the value of the counter J, the
processing unit 100 passes control back to step 280, where the
counter N is incremented. If value of the counter N is not less
than the value of the counter J, the processing unit 100 passes
control to step 294.
[0072] In step 294, the processing unit 100 initializes the counter
N to zero (i.e., N=0) in preparation for paying winnings to and/or
collecting wagers from the tertiary players. In step 296, the
processing unit 100 increments the counter N (i.e., N=N+1). In step
298, the processing unit 100 determines whether the outcome of the
tertiary wager of the tertiary player N was successful. If the
tertiary wager was successful, control passes to step 300 where the
payout value is determined. The value of the payout is a function
of the amount of the wager and the odds for the particular wager.
If the outcome of the tertiary wager of the tertiary player N is
not successful, control is passed to step 302 where the tertiary
wager is collected from the tertiary player N. The tertiary wager
may be manually collected, for example by the dealer 30 (FIG. 1) or
game operator 66 (FIG. 2) collecting the wagering pieces from a
tertiary player who is present at the gaming position or other
controlled location. The tertiary wager may alternatively be
automatically collected by, for example, debiting an account
belonging to the tertiary player for the wager amount. Automatic
collection is particularly useful where the tertiary player (e.g.,
fifth player 58) is remote from the gaming position or other
controlled location.
[0073] In step 304, the processing unit 100 determines whether
there are additional tertiary wagers for the tertiary player N. If
there are additional tertiary wagers, control passes back to step
298. If there are no additional tertiary wagers for the tertiary
player N, control passes to step 306 where the tertiary player N is
paid. The tertiary player may be manually paid winnings, for
example by the dealer 30 (FIG. 1) or game operator 66 (FIG. 2)
transferring wagering pieces in the amount of the winnings to the
tertiary player who is present at the gaming location or other
controlled location. The tertiary player may alternatively be
automatically paid, for example, by crediting an account belonging
to the tertiary player with an amount equal to the amount of the
winnings. Automatic payment is particularly useful where the
tertiary player is not present at the gaming position or other
controlled location.
[0074] In step 308, the processing unit 100 determines if the value
of the counter N is less than the value of the counter K (i.e.,
have payment/collection for all tertiary players been processed).
If the value of the counter N is less than the value of the counter
K, the processing unit 100 passes control to step 296, where the
counter N is incremented. If value of the counter N is not less
than the value of the counter K, the processing unit 100 passes
control to step 310, where the processing unit 100 updates the
statistics for the primary players, secondary players and/or
tertiary players. The method 200 terminates in step 312, although
the method 200 may execute in a continuous loop, or in a
multi-threaded fashion as suits the particular wagering system
10.
[0075] Although specific embodiments of and examples for the
wagering system and method of the invention are described herein
for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications can be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,
as will be recognized by those skilled in the relevant art. The
teachings provided herein of the invention can be applied to other
networked systems for wagering. For example, the teachings can
employ networks other than the World Wide Web portion of the
Internet. The teachings can employ other types of casino table
games such as baccarat, Caribbean stud poker, Tai Gow poker,
Hi/Low, Let-It-Ride.TM., and craps, as well as sporting and other
events such as horse racing, auto racing, baseball, football,
basketball, golf and tennis. While the illustrated embodiments show
secondary and tertiary wagers, the invention is not limited to
such, and one skilled in the art can easily adapt the teachings
herein to further levels of wagering. Additionally, or
alternatively, any player can wager on two or more levels, for
example by placing both primary and secondary wagers or placing
both secondary and tertiary wagers.
[0076] The various embodiments described above can be combined to
provide further embodiments. All of the above U.S. patents, patent
applications and publications referred to in this specification are
incorporated by reference. Aspects of the invention can be
modified, if necessary, to employ systems, circuits and concepts of
the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet
further embodiments of the invention.
[0077] These and other changes can be made to the invention in
light of the above detailed description. In general, in the
following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit
the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the
specification and the claims, but should be construed to include
all wagering systems that operate in accordance with the claims.
Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but
instead its scope is to be determined entirely by the following
claims.
[0078] From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although
specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein
for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made
without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended
claims.
* * * * *